Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press release 69/2024
11 December 2024
President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb will present the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland to singer and songwriter Eva Dahlgren and musician Tomas Ledin in Helsinki on Saturday 14 December 2024. President Stubb will host a reception to mark the occasion.
At a ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors at the Presidential Palace, President Stubb will present Eva Dahlgren and Tomas Ledin with the medals conferred on them on 22 March 2024, prior to the President’s state visit to Sweden. President Stubb will then give a congratulatory speech to the two recipients of the decorations.
The Pro Finlandia Medal is awarded to distinguished artists, authors and other persons of merit in the field of culture. It is the only Finnish decoration with the name of the holder engraved on it.
The Pro Finlandia Medal is awarded to Eva Dahlgren and Tomas Ledin in recognition of their outstanding contribution to culture. They have both meritoriously promoted relations between Finland and Sweden and helped to forge cultural ties between our countries.
Eva Dahlgren (b. 1960) is one of Sweden’s best-known and most acclaimed artists. During a career spanning more than 30 years, she has also won the hearts of audiences in Finland, where five of her albums have gone gold.
Tomas Ledin (b. 1952) counts among the most popular Swedish musicians. His over 50-year long career began back in 1972, when he got his first record deal and his first hit in Sweden. Over the years, Tomas Ledin has also performed extensively in Finland. Last year he was honoured for the fourth time with Sweden’s most prestigious music award, the Grammis.
The first Pro Finlandia Medals were awarded in 1944 to four Swedish and one Danish cultural figures. The first Finnish recipient of the Pro Finlandia Medal was theatre manager Mia Backman in 1945. A total of 1,002 Pro Finlandia medals have been awarded, 39 of them to foreign artists, authors and performers.
